By Natsuna Kawase
DC/CMX, 185 pp.
Rating: E (all ages)

Rosemarie’s pretty content with her life. She and her brother are the princess and prince of Ardela, a poor kingdom that supports itself with tourism. So poor, in fact, that Princess Rosemarie sells bread with the maids in the courtyard and Prince Mache conducts the tours through the castle himself. Rosemarie is less content, however, when she hears that Mache has gone behind her back to arrange an engagement between Rosemarie and Reynol, the reportedly standoffish Prince of Yurinela. She goes undercover as a maid to try and decide for herself that she hates Reynol. Of course, things don’t work out that way, and a romance slowly blossoms between the couple.

This is clearly for a younger audience. The setup is pretty classic, and the first few pages drove me crazy as I got used to the abrupt cause-and-effect plot advancement techniques the story uses. For instance, Rosemarie will be worked up and expecting Reynol to say something mean, on the next page Reynol will say something nice, and the page after that will have Rosemarie reversing her opinion. The story progression is almost always that simple, and most of the chapters involve some conflict that Rosemarie and Reynol overcome fairly easily in order to grow closer.

The simplicity put me off a great deal, as did the dedication to dressing Rosemarie in a maid outfit (it comes up in every story, despite the fact the maid cover is blown in the first chapter), but it’s not without its good points. Reynol and Rosemarie are quite dedicated to one another, and it is fairly charming to see the two getting closer and closer in every chapter. Notably, neither is ever really in doubt about the other’s feelings, which is always a nice surprise. Because the two have such a nice romance, it also helps give the story a feeling of sincerity that is normally lacking in younger shojo series. It also has a decent sense of humor, and it’s hard not to smile at the frequent teasing and mock fights between Rosemarie and Mache.

I also like the fact that Rosemarie isn’t a typical rich and spoiled princess. She’s happy to sell bread and do what she has to in order to support her kingdom. She also isn’t above acting like a maid or doing things for herself, something that is in contrast to the more typical princess in the second story. I also like the difference between Rosemarie and Reynol’s kingdoms. Reynol’s home is in a sealed dome, and nearly everything is done by machine. They don’t have wind, and their weather is always nice, with no surprise showers or snow. It illustrates the differences between their personalities more than anything, but one of the things that Reynol worries about is marrying Rosemarie and taking her away from the nature in her kingdom that she loves so much.

I was disappointed that the plot and storylines were so simplistic, and it took me a bit to get used to the slightly manic storytelling style, but there’s still lots to like here, especially for a younger crowd. Both the main characters are likable, the story is very positive and sincere, and it’s got a nice sense of humor. I think I’d rather be reading Apothecarius Argentum, but for younger readers, this one isn’t a bad choice.

Volume one of A Tale of an Unknown Country is available now.

Review copy provided by the publisher.